ABSTRACT
There is a large gap in tropical forest management plans regarding to the intensity of logging and cutting rates. So far, it has been defined arbitrarily. This work aims at to define different cutting intensities for groups of tree species with different growth rhythm, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. The study used the periodical annual increment, percentual in volume, of 26 species, obtained from permanent plots. The periodic increment percentage in volume for differentiating effect considered 1% difference as threshold. Three levels of logging intensity were identified for the commercial classes: 24.4% for group I, 35.4% for group II, and 42.4% for group III. The total sustainable cutting rate was 11.5m³ ha-1 with cut intensity of 37%. The cutting rate calculation procedure is very simple and can be used by forest law and monitoring institutions.
Keywords:
forest management; periodical annual increment; cut intensity; sustentability.